It’s
the season of graduations. Last
night at Paola High School stadium, family & friends, teachers &
mentors helped 142 students commemorate their successful completion of 12 years
of academic study. Some of these
students have plans for continuing their education in the fall. Some have plans for work beginning
soon. Right now, though, many of
them are in an “in-between” time.
In-between high school and college or trade school, in-between high school
and career. Last weekend the Weatherbies
celebrated Aaron’s college graduation.
Although he has secured a dream job, it doesn’t begin until late
summer. So he’s in an in-between
time also: in-between attending college
and directing an award-winning school choir program. Two weeks ago, my family was in Richmond, Indiana celebrating
Mary Margaret’s college graduation. Referring to the increasingly longer
in-between time—in-between college and career—that faces many graduates today,
Mary’s Baccalaureate speaker talked about “falling into the future”—allowing
ourselves and possibly our future to be shaped by the experiences in our
in-between times. Within the
context of the Christian faith, we might express “falling into the future” as trusting in the Holy Spirit.
Graduation
seasons are not the only in-between times. There is in-between jobs, in-between relationships,
in-between homes. Often we don’t
realize when we are in-between, though because it feels like what we’re
experiencing is loss. On the front side of loss, we usually cannot see what
will come next, so we don’t recognize we are “in-between.” When have you experienced “in-between”
time? What was it like for
you?
Combining
her degree, her passion, and her lifestyle, as well as continuing to nurture relationships
she has formed serving low income families, Mary Margaret is managing a grant
this summer. Building relationships between local farmers and her community
center clients, she is striving for food justice in her town. Funded for the summer only, her work
with this grant is in-between college and what will come next. Like Peter in our text today, Mary Margaret
has been moved to action in her “in-between” time.
Today’s
text is set in-between—in-between Jesus’ ascension and his sending of the Holy
Spirit. Staying together in
Jerusalem, his group of followers—which includes the apostles and the women who
had accompanied him, as well as others who had joined them during his ministry—his
group of followers waits. Having
recently been separated from Jesus—witnessing his ascension—it feels more like
a time of loss than an in-between time. But, holding onto Jesus’ promise of the
Holy Spirit, his followers devote themselves to prayer. Even though they don’t know what this
“being baptized by the Holy Spirit” will look like or be like, Jesus’ followers
try to prepare themselves for what will come next.
Intimating
that the leadership group—the apostles—is incomplete
at 11, Peter suggests the addition of a 12th person, someone who has
been with the group from the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Of the 120 gathered, two are nominated:
Joseph Barsabbas and Matthias. We
have not heard of these men before, nor will we hear of them again in scripture. But we assume they are both part of the
group still gathered together in Jerusalem a few days later when the Holy
Spirit comes and empowers the believers to speak the good news in many
languages on the day of Pentecost. We assume they both continue to serve
Jesus as members of the growing group of his followers that later to be called
the church.
Presented
together, Joseph Barsabbas and Matthias represent the unassuming, faithful
followers whose response to the love of Christ form the relationships which
draw people into the community of faith. They represent the unassuming, faithful
followers whose response to Christ’s call to care for the “least of these”
undergirds the mission of the church.
They represent the unassuming, faithful followers whose service lays the
groundwork for others’ faith development. Although only one of them is selected to complete the
leadership group of 12, we never hear anything more about either of them. That suggests they respond to Christ’s
love for them regardless of officially being named a leader—or not. That suggests they respond to Christ’s
call on their lives independent of being ordained “elder” or “deacon” or not.
We
live in an in-between time:
in-between Christ’s 1st and 2nd coming—that is in-between
his life, ministry, death, resurrection and ascension and his physical
return. We live in-between
Christ’s initiation of God’s rule on
earth and when God’s rule will come to complete
fruition. In this in-between
time, we get glimpses of what God wants for all of us. We get glimpses of God’s rule breaking
in to the here and now. In this
in-between time, we have been introduced to Christ, our faith has developed and
been nourished, and the mission of the church has flourished—more often than
not, because of unassuming, faithful followers like Joseph Barsabbas and
Matthias.
W.
H. and Lorraine tell me that worshiping here with us each Sunday morning is one
of their joys of life. Since March, neither of them has been able to come here,
but they have felt “cared for” and missed by this congregation. They have remained connected to us because
a group of unassuming, faithful followers of Christ have called and visited
them, have sent them cards, and have shared our worship services with them on
CD.
For
50 years our church has been providing clothes for people in Paola and Miami
county. Many of them are
in-between—in-between jobs, in-between permanent housing, in-between caring,
supportive relationships. Emptying
sacks of donations, sorting the nice from the not-so-usable items, hanging up or
folding the items, then assisting customers and clients, a large group of
unassuming, faithful followers of Christ prepare our Thrift Shop for its
Saturday sale day each week.
Jesus’
followers gathered together in the in-between time and were guided by prayer.
“Prayer is the appropriate context for decision making as the
church”[1]
envisions the future, choosing leaders and implementing mission. “Prayer signals that the church looks
beyond itself for guidance and direction.”[2] A few of our long-time members, serve
this church through a prayer ministry.
They pray for you, individually, that you might grow in your knowledge
of the word of God and in your faith in God. They pray for me—that God will form me into the pastor you
deserve. They pray for this
congregation—that we will serve God’s mission in this community and the
world. These unassuming, faithful
followers of Christ shower us with their prayers and their prayer ministry
nourishes this congregation.
I
wonder who, for you, has been a Matthias or Joseph Barsabbas—an unassuming,
faithful follower of Christ whose presence in your life has supported you and nurtured
your faith.
Our
congregation is in an in-between time—in between what we have been and what God
will make of us. Will you join
Matthias, Joseph Barsabbas, and countless unnamed unassuming, faithful
followers of Christ? Will you respond
to Christ’s love for you? Will you
answer Christ’s call to live your life as his disciple? Will you reach out to
others—our children, our youth, our adults— helping to develop their faith? Will you reach out to others—offering
fellowship or friendship to those who are new around here or who are lonely or
grieving or who are suffering from depression? Will you reach out to people who are struggling with life’s
circumstances? Will
you reach out to others—offering your time, energy, money, and yourself to the
missions of this church? Will you
befriend a preschool parent or mentor a scout? Will you sort volunteer at the Thrift Shop or the food
bank? Will you worship at the
nursing homes? In this in-between
time, like the gathered group of Jesus’ followers, we prepare ourselves with
prayer. In this in-between time, like
Peter may we stand up, speak out, and act!
Let
us pray:
God of all times—past, present, and
future—we thank you for your creating, sustaining, everlasting love. God of all times—in this in-between
time, draw us close to you in prayer. In this in-between time, through the
power of your Holy Spirit, fill us with enthusiasm and give us energy to serve
you! Amen.
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